Saint Nicholas Fought Pirates? Interview with Matt Mikalatos

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Find the blog version and show notes HERE.What if you found an old sword that once belonged to a Roman gladiator? What if a mysterious journal held the key to a secret that could change how you see the world?What if studying the book of Romans didn’t feel like a chore—but like an epic quest for truth and salvation?Our guest author today is Marty Machowski.Marty Machowski is a pastor and best-selling author. He serves as the Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. He serves as the Executive Editor for Children’s Resources for New Growth Press. Marty has authored over twenty books and curricula for children and families, including The Gospel Story Curriculum and The Ology. 

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Learn more about the Kickstarter Campaign for Land of Giants HERE.Find the show notes and blog version HERE.A secret alliance, A dangerous mission, A deadly enemy.Twelve-year-old Shem wants one thing—to become a warrior. But his father, Noah, is too busy building a giant ark to train him. The world mocks his family, and Shem is tired of feeling left out and embarrassed. He’s ready to trade his tools for a sword and show the Cobras, the toughest gang in the city, that he’s not just some weird kid with a crazy dad.When Shem makes a secret deal with the son of a family rival, he finally gets the training he’s always wanted. But something isn’t right. Monstrous giants called Nephilites have invaded the land. And the dragon they serve is more dangerous than Shem ever imagined. If Shem wants to protect his family, he’ll have to learn what it really means to be a warrior.Land of Giants is an action-packed Biblical adventure, perfect for readers who long to battle dragons, defy giants, and discover the true strength that comes from the King.

Find the show notes and blog version of this episode HERE.

Find the blog version and show notes HERE.What if your kids could battle dragons, go on epic quests, and memorize Scripture—all at the same time?What if discipleship wasn’t just a workbook—but an epic story your boys got to live out week after week?What if Bible study felt less like a chore, and more like an adventure? Introducing, Lightraiders, a Christian role-playing game for teens, created by James R. Hannibal.James is a former stealth pilot who has been shot at, locked up with missiles, and pursued by an armed terrorist on a winding German road. He is a multi-award-winning author of suspense and fantasy novels for adults and children and the developer of the Lightraiders discipleship games and novels.www.Lightraiders.com

You can find the blog version and show notes HERE.Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn LeiloglouWhat if famous paintings weren’t just pictures—but portals to other parts of the world?What if your little sister vanished into a painting—and you were the only one who could save her?What if the art you tried to forget held the key to your family's biggest secret?Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast, where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys. Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.Our guest author today is Carolyn Leiloglou. AUTHOR BIO: Carolyn Leiloglou is the author of the award-winning middle grade fantasy series The Restorationists. She is the granddaughter of art collectors, daughter of an art teacher, and homeschooling mom to four wildly creative kids. Carolyn and her husband Demetrios make their home in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her everywhere online as House full of Bookworms.

Find the blog version and show notes HERE.What if there was an ice age in Hawaii? What if your government could see and track your every move? What if the only way to save your sister was to hack into the system that held her captive?Our guest author today is Jeremiah Friedli. Jeremiah writes young adult fiction with a thriller feel, inspired by true stories of spies, chases, battles, and underdogs. He loves reading and writing tales of espionage, intrigue, and suspense. He’s the author of the Core Series and a 2025 Realm Awards finalist for his debut novel Core Deception. Learn more at www.JeremiahFriedli.com

Find the shownotes HERE.It’s no mystery that our boys love fighting and adventure.  They are drawn to TV shows, movies and books that involve blood, battles, bombs and booby traps.  In their play, someone is always getting killed or blown up.  Our boys thrive on fighting evil and taking risks. In our episode today, we’re going to find out why God created our boys in this way.

Find the show notes for this episode HERE.Have you ever asked yourself… Why are my boys so WILD?  Why do they have so much energy? Why are they so loud and rambunctious and aggressive?  In today’s episode, we’re going to find out where this wildness comes from.WELCOME TO THE SWORD AND STORY PODCAST! The Sword and Story podcast is dedicated to helping Christian parents discover exciting, faith-filled books for their boys—stories packed with courage, honor, and adventure. If you’re looking for books for your boys with thrilling storytelling from a Christian worldview, then you’re in the right place.Join us as we explore books that will help our boys grow to be strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. I’m your host, Laurie Christine. I’m the author of the Dragon Slayer Bible Series, adventure-packed biblical fiction for 8-12 year old boys. I’m also a wife and mom to 4 wild, wonderful young men. My boys are currently 9, 10, 13, and 14.I am busy interviewing and scheduling authors for the new episodes of the Sword and Story podcast. Those new author interviews will be airing later this summer. But in the meantime, I think it’s important that we take some time to understand how God created our boys. Last week we listened to an interview with Mark Hancock, CEO of Trail Life USA. If you missed that episode, go back and listen to episode 2 of the sword and story podcast and you can find that at swordandstorypodcast.com. In that episode, Mark and I discussed how we can let our boys be boys.This week, we’re tackling the question:  Why are my boys so wild? Why are they so loud? Why do they have so much energy? If we want to find books that will help our boys to become strong, courageous warriors for God’s Kingdom, we need to understand some of the core desires that God has given boys. That’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s episode.